Child Care News
Palmer vetoes paid parental leave
skyNEWS - October 27, 2014Clive Palmer has given the thumbs-down to the federal government's paid parental leave scheme. 'All of our senators in the Palmer United Party have decided to vote against paid parental leave, so there will be no paid parental leave,' Mr Palmer told reporters in Canberra on Monday. Enabling...
Clive Palmer brands Tony Abbott a 'misogynist' for PPL scheme
The Australian - Sid Maher - October 27, 2014CLIVE Palmer has branded Tony Abbott a misogynist for his continued support for paid parental leave and the fact he has only one woman in his cabinet. Mr Palmer cited Julia Gillard's description of Mr Abbott as a misogynist as he attacked the government's PPL proposal and said the money...
Evolve Education $200m IPO roadshow gets under way
Financial Review - Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald and Jake Mitchell - October 27, 2014The IPO hopeful started meeting fundies late last week, with a view to raising $NZ150 million ($134 million) for a listing in Australia and New Zealand before the end of 2014. Evolve, which has brokers Forsyth Barr and Goldman Sachs overseeing the roll-up of 90 New Zealand childcare...
High income families could pay higher fees for childcare
9News - October 26, 2014Families deemed to be on a high-income could soon be paying more for childcare, if a Productivity Commission report to be released on Friday is implemented. Every year the federal government spends $5 billion on childcare subsidies and benefits and Treasurer Joe Hockey is under pressure...
Labor challenges Coalition over means tests for childcare rebate
The Guardian - Shalailah Medhora - October 26, 2014Labor says the government will be breaking an election promise if it considers means testing the childcare rebate, but stopped short of ruling out the measure itself. The Productivity Commission is reportedly set to recommend that the family payments be means tested when it releases its...
Childcare rebate faces new means test for high-income earners, under push to include nannies
Herald Sun - Samantha Maiden - October 26, 2014JOE Hockey will be urged to means test the 50 per cent childcare rebate for the first time in a move that will force families earning more than $150,000-a-year to pay higher fees. The Treasurer faces a push from the Productivity Commission to simplify Australia's current system of multiple…
Time for Tony Abbott to rewrite the paid parental leave scheme
Sydney Morning Herald - Carolyn Cummins - October 26, 2014If the Prime Minister really wants to help women, he needs to adopt his Commission of Audit's recommendations and lower the PPL full wage replacement cap to average weekly earnings, i.e. $57,000 and spend the savings on childcare. Or he should rediscover the pragmatist who…
Samantha Maiden: Can Tony Abbott''s big, blokey cabinet man up to fix childcare?
Daily Telegraph - Samantha Maiden - October 26, 2014ONY Abbott's temple of cabinet blokedom has a big test looming for those who believe it's lack of women is a side issue. Can a cabinet full of older blokes and one impressive woman Julie Bishop "get it", that childcare is huge issue in the community, not a second or third order economic…
Without reserve: Folkestone Maxim A-REIT Securities Fund rating upgraded
Sydney Morning Herald - Carolyn Cummins - October 24, 2014The merger between Winston Sammut's Maxim entity and Greg Paramour's Folkestone Group has proved successful with the joint Folkestone Maxim A-REIT Securities Fund being awarded a "Superior" 4 out of 5 star rating from SQM Research, which is an upgrade from 3.75 stars...
Kiwi invention warns teachers when it's time for sunblock
TVNZ - October 24, 2014A Kiwi invention to help prevent skin cancer is being installed in a hundred childcare centres and kindergartens around the country. The technology reads UV levels and warns teachers when it's time to cover up young skin. "It's constantly measuring the intensity of the UV and it sends…
Child's play could be payday for Kroger
The Australian - Ben Butler - October 24, 2014LIBERAL Party powerbroker Michael Kroger could be a lot richer at 11am today when the kid-minding venture he's behind, Think Childcare and Education, finally makes its stockmarket debut. The float was delayed because ASIC demanded the prospectus be beefed up with more...
Ombudsman should investigate child carers, not Families SA: Anglicare
ABC News - October 24, 2014South Australian Government child protection agency Families SA should be stripped of its power to investigate complaints against its carers, according to Anglicare. Chief executive officer Peter Sandeman has told a parliamentary committee that the state's Ombudsman should be put in...
Greens childcare hysteria is making life harder for Western Sydney mums
Daily Telegraph - Sam Crosby - October 24, 2014SYDNEY parents have grown accustomed to the shoddy state of our childcare system. For mums wanting to return to work, it's just accepted that a frustrating world of mysterious waiting lists and high fees awaits. So the suggestion you could drop your kids off easily at a quality centre for...
Supporting wellbeing in the early years
Crikey - Michelle Hughes - October 23, 2014There is a convergence of professional opinion, science and policy that the welfare of children should be of paramount concern to everybody. Research into early childhood development has grown rapidly over the past 20 years, and we now understand that the relationships and...
Citi wary of G8 Education story
Financial Review - Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald and Jake Mitchell - October 23, 2014Citigroup analyst Gino Rossi has downgraded his rating G8 Education to "sell" after the company launched a $100 million equity raising to buy another 20 childcare centres. Mr Rossi said it was a "curious time" for an equity raising given the company has $240 million to run in its Singapore...
